Fresh Cuts: Arrangements with Flowers, Leaves, Buds & Branches is an exciting new look at the unexpected possibilities the plant world offers for beauty and enjoyment. It will change the way we approach flower arranging.

The one hundred elegant photographs by John M. Hall and the charming, informative text by garden designer Edwina von Gal show that one's choices for natural decorative arrangements need not be limited to flowers. Rather, von Gal and Hall emphasize the intrinsic beauty of each part of the plant, including buds, stems, leaves, berries and fruit. In tune with the current trend toward minimalism in interior decorating, the arrangements featured in this book are appealingly spare and simple. Among the many inspired ideas are a gathering of delicate periwinkle, the flowers a perfect complement to the leaves; a tabletop arrangement of beautifully textured pods and seeds; the rich, red stems of rhubarb chard in a clear glass vase; and a single rose of Sharon in glorious full bloom.

Von Gal's whimsical, anecdotal text offers facts, observations, and folklore, as well as practical guidance for the care and maintenance of the plants featured in her creative arrangements. Her provocative captions invite us to stop, take a closer look, and experience plants in ways we might not have thought of before--in vases or in their natural settings.

Filled with novel, accessible ideas, Fresh Cuts also suggests that the enjoyable act of decorating one's home or office can be combined with a dedicated foraging expedition, a casual nature walk, or a spiritual lesson in understanding our own symbiotic connection to the world of plants.

Ken Druse is an internationally recognized author, award-winning photographer, and acknowledged founder of the natural gardening movement. He gardens in Brooklyn, New York, and rural New Jersey.

John M. Hall's photography has appeared in such magazines as House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Vogue Decoration, Garden Design, and The New York Times Magazine, and his still lifes have been exhibited in more than a dozen group and solo shows. Hall has also photographed many books, including Living with Art (Rizzoli), Antiques at Home (Clarkson N. Potter), Simply Flowers (Clarkson N. Potter), and Biedermeier (Abbeville). He lives in New York City.

Edwina Von Gal has been creating elegant, harmonious landscapes for more than twelve years. As head of her own design firm, she has had a variety of residential and commercial projects in Alabama, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the New York area, including the fanciful topiary animals that grace the Channel Gardens in Rockefeller Center. Her garden designs have been published in The New York Times, House Beautiful, HG, Garden Design, and Vogue, as well as in several books. She lives in Southhampton, New York.